The following hypotheses will be tested in this proposal 1) lipoproteins from diabetic patients interact abnormally with cells involved in the artherosclerotic process 2) Diabetic platelets release factors that may induce a modification of LDL in situ and alter its interaction with other cells 3) Cell lipoprotein-interaction in diabetes mellitus is altered by factors existent in diabetic plasma when devoid of lipoproteins 4) Some of the abnormalities in lipoprotein cell-interactions are related to alterations in the composition of lipoproteins 5) Abnormal cell-lipoprotein interactions are reversed by good metabolic control. Methodology involves cell isolation and culture, lipoprotein isolation and labelling, metabolic studies with radioisotopes, protein isolation, chemical analysis and immunoassays. Clinical research, biochemistry, cell biology, physiology and immunology are the disciplines basically involved in this proposal. A better understanding of "atherogenic" lipoprotein particles in diabetes mellitus and how they interact with the cells involved in the atherosclerotic process may result from this proposal. This understanding may have future implications in the therapeutic management of diabetic patients.